Kalamazoo company has always made green its business

The environmental movement was not in the forefront of many minds more than 20 years ago when Tim Kowalski first began a business venture in Kalamazoo known as Bio-Kleen.

Now Kowalski has developed more than 200 biodegradable cleaning products sold under the Bio-Kleen label.
 
The first product developed by Kowalski, a chemist by trade, was Stryk-It, a soap-based solution used to clean manufactured parts such as those produced by the Portage-based Stryker Corp. Bio-Kleen's newest products -- Restore & Shine and Restore & Shine X-tra Cut -- were launched in January.
 
Restore & Shine is a heavier compound used to restore fiberglass such as that on boats. The X-tra Cut is used to buff the fiberglass to a high gloss while also applying layers of UV protection, Kowalski says.
 
The company, located at 810 Lake Street, has a group of six employees who manufacture upwards of 15,000 gallons of Bio-Kleen products each day.

Those products are sold through 3,500 motorcycle, RV, boat and auto parts stores throughout the United States, in addition to the Internet and at the company's Lake Street headquarters. Kowalski says his products also are sold in 20 countries around the world.
 
Those products range from polishers to de-greasers such as Dish Demon dishwashing liquid and Mirror Image, a furniture polish.
 
Kowalski says customer service and the quality of his products sets Bio-Kleen from competitors who now are trying to cash in on the niche market he has been serving for more than 20 years. "Because they (the products) work so well people continue to re-order them," Kowalski says.

He also says he won't purchase supplies from foreign markets, preferring instead to purchase locally as often as possible.
 
And he also counts on business relationships. "I spend 200 nights a year calling on dealers twice a year," Kowalski says. "It's that personal touch. They know I'm there for them."

Writer: Jane Parikh
Source: Tim Kowalski, Bio-Kleen Products Inc.